Question
I have always had beautiful healthy house plants,  some of them are starts from my great grandmother's house plants.  We moved to a new home six months ago and they have went from being in a home heated with a wood stove to a home being heated by a forced air natural gas furnace.  Both homes have wonderful lighting.  My plants are slowly dying and nothing about my care for them has changed.  Is natural gas forced air hard on house plants?  Thank you for  your time.

Answer
Hi Lori,

If your new heating system is operating properly, then the natural gas heat will not have an adverse effect on your plants. Of course, this assumes that none of your plants are in direct contact with any heating elements or right in front of forced air vents.

Plants do not like to be relocated. In nature, they put down roots and stay in one place for a lifetime. Because our eyes adjust to changes in light, we are not good at assessing changes in light. Most people over-estimate the light available for plants. It is the change in light that most affects plants and I suspect is the cause of your plant problems.

You haven't provided any details on the available light for your plants, so I can only speculate that some of your plants may not be getting enough light now. Others may be getting enough, but less than before. In reduced light, plants grow more slowly, shed older leaves and use less water.

Finally, I would note that your new home and its heating system may be drying out the air and the plants more than your previous home.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

If this information has been helpful, please click the Rate Volunteer bar below and enter a rating and nomination for me. I am a volunteer on this site so Ratings are the only compensation I receive for answering plant questions.

Need more information? Visit my website at:
A link to HorticulturalHelp.com

or email me at [email protected] or call me at 917-887-8601 (EST)
 
Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

Visit my website at: A link to HorticulturalHelp.com